Least concern
Widespread and not thought to be at risk. 286 fish on EveryFish so far.
Least Concern is the IUCN Red List category for species that have been assessed and are not close to qualifying as threatened. They are usually widespread and abundant. Many important food fish are in this category, including hilsa, rohu, skipjack tuna and Atlantic herring. Least Concern describes a species as a whole, worldwide; it does not mean that every local stock is healthy or well managed.
Common, not always safe
A fish can be Least Concern globally while particular populations are in trouble. Hilsa is widespread across the Bay of Bengal and its rivers, but its runs up the Ganges collapsed after the Farakka Barrage. Rohu and catla are abundant because they are farmed in huge numbers, while wild river stocks have declined. Herring stocks have crashed and recovered in different seas over the past century. Fisheries are managed stock by stock, so local assessments matter as much as the global category.
Back from the brink
Some fish have moved into Least Concern after recovering. The Atlantic bluefin tuna was listed as Endangered in 2011 after decades of overfishing; strict quotas set by the Atlantic tuna commission, ICCAT, and better enforcement let stocks recover, and in 2021 it was reassessed as Least Concern. Yellowfin tuna was moved from Near Threatened to Least Concern in the same update, though scientists warn that yellowfin in the Indian Ocean is still overfished.
Famous least concern fish
IlishLeast Concern globally, though local runs have fallen
RohuAbundant thanks to farming
CatlaWidespread in farms and rivers
Indian mackerelA common schooling fish of the Indo-Pacific
Skipjack tunaThe most caught tuna
Atlantic bluefin tunaMoved from Endangered to Least Concern in 2021
Yellowfin tunaMoved to Least Concern in 2021
Atlantic herringWidespread in the North AtlanticFurther reading
WorldBlue-spotted grouper
A widely distributed Indo-Pacific grouper known for its blue spots and invasive impact in Hawaii.Other · Coasts and shelves
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreGar
Ancient armored fish with lung-like swim bladders found in North American waters.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758
WorldBigeye trevally
A large marine fish found in tropical oceans, known for its nocturnal hunting and distinctive dark dorsal fin.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1825
🇺🇸 United StatesSpotted seatrout
Estuarine drum fish of the US southeast coastOther · Estuaries and mangroves
North AmericaAtlantic croaker
Noisy marine fish of the western Atlantic coastOther · Coasts and shelves
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreLingcod
A large predatory fish of the North American Pacific coast.Other · Coasts and shelves
WorldHoundfish
A large pelagic needlefish found in tropical oceans worldwide.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1821
WorldGiant trevally
Large marine jack found across the Indo-Pacific, known for size and hunting skill.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1775
WorldIndo-Pacific sailfish
Fast ocean predator with a large dorsal finOther · Coasts and shelves
🇦🇺 AustraliaKing George whiting
A large coastal fish endemic to southern Australia, known for its spotted pattern and commercial value.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1829
🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreJapanese meagre
A large saltwater fish found across the Indo-Pacific region.Other · Coasts and shelves
WorldMackerel
A group of pelagic fish known for their speed, stripes, and role in global fisheries.Tuna · Open ocean
WorldGrouper
Marine ray-finned fish in the family Epinephelidae, known for large size and commercial value.Shark · Coasts and shelves
WorldCobia
A large, solitary marine fish found in warm tropical and subtropical waters worldwide.Other · Coasts and shelves
WorldBarracuda
Large predatory saltwater fish with sharp teeth found in tropical oceans.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1758
WorldSwordfish
Large migratory fish with a long flat bill, sole member of its family.Other · Coasts and shelves
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreStriped bass
Anadromous marine fish native to the Atlantic coast of North America, known for sport fishing and culinary use.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreBarramundi
A catadromous fish found across the Indo-West Pacific, valued for sport and aquaculture.Other · Rivers and lakes
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Rohu: Wiki Farazi, CC0, source
- Sailfish: This illustration was made by Citron You must credit this : Citron / C, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Blue-spotted grouper: Jan Ebr, CC BY 4.0, source
- Gar: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Bigeye trevally: Jens Petersen, CC BY 2.5, source
- Spotted seatrout: United States Fish Commission, Public domain, source
- Atlantic croaker: Carvalho-Souza, Gómez & González-Ortegón (2024), CC BY 4.0, source
- Lingcod: Will Sides, CC BY 4.0, source
- Houndfish: The Geographical Society of Baltimore, Public domain, source
- Giant trevally: Dr. Dwayne Meadows, NOAA/NMFS/OPR, Public domain, source
- King George whiting: Source: Rick Stuart-Smith / Reef life Survey. License: CC by Attributi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Japanese meagre: Show_ryu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mackerel: Jastrow, Public domain, source
- Atlantic herring: zakqaryroy, CC BY 4.0, source
- Grouper: Photo2222, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cobia: Jorge Alarcon or Dr. Daniel Benetti, Public domain, source
- Atlantic bluefin tuna: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Yellowfin tuna: OAR/National Undersea Research Program (NURP), Public domain, source
- Ilish: Nahid Sultan This work was made by Nahid Sultan and released under the, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Skipjack tuna: Karg se, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Barracuda: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Catla: Khalid Mahmood, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Swordfish: vtzanatos, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Striped bass: Steven G. Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Barramundi: Mitch Ames, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Indian mackerel: Jean-Lou Justine, CC BY-SA 4.0, source